Nor-Tech 340 Sport Rear-Facing Seat Conversion

When Illinois performance boater John Tillery started thinking about ways to improve upon his 2013 Nor-Tech Hi-Performance Boats 340 Sport center console, he turned to Justin Wagner and the team at Waves and Wheels in Osage Beach, Mo., to tackle the project. The high-end entertainment and interior installation shop handled the stereo system on Tillery’s 34-foot center console a few years back so Tillery, who splits time between his home in Illinois and his home at Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks, had experienced the attention to detail that Wagner and company provide.

What Tillery had in mind for his 340 Sport, which is powered by twin Mercury Marine Verado 300 engines, was an update to the rear-facing seat with a built-in cooler below that was directly behind the helm seat. He wanted something more friendly and comfortable for his passengers, especially his wife, Colette, whose feet didn’t reach the deck when she was sitting on the bench seat.

“The original rear-facing seat wasn’t bad since the center console and the captain’s seat provided protection from wind and weather for anyone sitting back there,” Tillery said. “But it wasn’t too comfortable so we talked with Justin about turning it into a reclining lounger. From there Waves and Wheels handled the design and fabrication. They wrapped up the project last week and we are very happy with the finished product.”

A before-and-after look at the rear seat on John Tillery’s Nor-Tech 340 Sport center console.

Wagner said Waves and Wheels took the rear cooler bench and designed a rear-facing lounger with a motorized footrest and additional storage, making sure to keep the flow with the factory lines of the helm seating. His team also added a pair of grab handles to the new fiberglass seat bases.

Overall, the owner of the company said he was pleased with the end result and said he’s open to doing more of the same for any Nor-Tech owners who would like a similar conversion done on their boat.